Just want to bump this thread. Maher probably reached his lowest point a few months back during excruciatingly slow one-on-one interviews with Oliver Stone and Billy Bob Thornton. But he still has a great booking agent, and tonight I thought he was pretty cogent with Brad Pitt, General Zinni, and a conservative NYT writer. In fact, Jeremy Scahill's rant against America's adventure in Afghanistan as colonialism a few weeks back seemed to have stuck with him, and he ranted against our presence there to Zinni, who said it was essential until we built a stable friendly government. But everyone seemed to side with Maher, which was neat. You don't see that on TV a whole lot, that notion agreed to by multiple people.

And he brought up something I missed: a Counter-Terrorism official declared the end of the War on Terror this week.

Jon Hamm was on the season premiere of RTwBM last Friday. He served on the panel. The podcast should come out on Wednesday on iTunes.

I'm a bit nervous.. I like Hamm, but I have turned against other stars based on an inept performance on Maher's program. If you do well on his show, you rise in my estimation (Like Ashton Kutcher, who did better than most celebrity guests). If you do poorly? Well, let's just say that I really hope Hamm equipped himself well on the panel

EDIT: I love how in tune I am with Mr Maher. I was watching clips of his appearence on Larry King on September 14th, and his take on the "ground zero" " mosque" was exactly the same as mine

1) Against the idea of any sort of "center for mass delusion" being erected in NYC 2) With that said, he's for the muslim's right to freedom of religion 3) People who are against mosques but not churches are unAmerican

It's great seeing that someone I respect so much came to the exact same conclusions I did

I assume that he will deliver this NEW RULE live on RTwBM tomorrow, as is usually the case when he posts up a Thursday HUFFPO 'NEW RULES' blog entry, but all the same, it's a stellar 'editorial' from Mr Maher and I thought you guys might find it interesting:

I listened as long as I could then had to fast forward through his parts. It just didn't seem like an honest word came out of his mouth, or he's clinically insane. Scientists would lie about global climate change to profit from grants? Really?

Arg I can't wait to see it. I hope Bill tore into him. That's Bill at his best. Sometimes though, in recent seasons, Bill at times lacks the energy to fight back against the bullshit, and he just kind of lets people blab. I prefer the combative Mr Maher. Which Bill showed up last night?

I don't really care for McFarlane's television programs (though I enjoyed FG back in highschool when it was counter cultural because it was canceled), but he was hilarious and remarkably astute last time he was on the show. Look it up, I believe an audio only podcast should be available from iTunes. There was a whole creepy 'Seth McFarlane is secretly gay' type humor tangent started by some conservative guest, but Seth ran with it and actually managed to get laughs. He earned my respect in the process. He's not a world class cartoon guru, but he seems cool enough at least to hang out on Bill's panel IMHO.

Now, I didn't see him last night and maybe he didn't do as well, but to answer your question, BorisTheCheese: I'd cite his previous stand out work on the panel as the reason he was booked last evening.

During a discussion about Proposition 19 on Bill Maher's HBO show "Real Time" last night, Zach Galifianakis commented that the people's opposition to marijuana legalization might be rooted in a feeling that smoking marijuana is still taboo. He then shocked the panel and delighted the audience by pulling out a joint and lighting up on the set.

He passed it to one of the stunned panelists, who smelled it, and seemed to confirm that it was indeed the real stuff.

Galifianakis point, presumably, was to show that you can smoke marijuana and not act in a crazy manner.

Bill's islamophobia and anti arab sentiment is getting tiring. I just don't think I can watch a show where the host is telling me Islam is taking over the United Kingdom and that Sharia law is a shadow legal system here. Muslims make up 3% of the pop and Sharia law is not part of the legal system here, it never was, and never will be. His statements are reckless and dangerous, but not surprising considering his background.

Bill's islamophobia and anti arab sentiment is getting tiring. I just don't think I can watch a show where the host is telling me Islam is taking over the United Kingdom and that Sharia law is a shadow legal system here. Muslims make up 3% of the pop and Sharia law is not part of the legal system here, it never was, and never will be. His statements are reckless and dangerous, but not surprising considering his background.

Well I think it's pretty widely established now that Maher really is an epic asshole who loves to be outragous and push certain issues, but who loves to push the issue of William Maher Jr. most of all.

Just cause he's an asshole I happen to agree with a fair amount of the time doesn't make him any less of an asshole. It's when he starts the hyperbole on issues we don't agree with - like his view on arabs and islam - that his assholery is laid bare.

Bill's islamophobia and anti arab sentiment is getting tiring. I just don't think I can watch a show where the host is telling me Islam is taking over the United Kingdom and that Sharia law is a shadow legal system here. Muslims make up 3% of the pop and Sharia law is not part of the legal system here, it never was, and never will be. His statements are reckless and dangerous, but not surprising considering his background.

Maher's Islam nonsense is such hilarious bullshit. Be anti-religion, fine - there's plenty of reasons for such a position without resorting to lying.

Despite recognizing that he's quite intelligent, his complete quackery when it comes to his opinions about medicine was an instant failure for me. People who are still 'skeptical' about vaccines, for example, don't deserve much thought.

Maher's Islam nonsense is such hilarious bullshit. Be anti-religion, fine - there's plenty of reasons for such a position without resorting to lying.

What bull shit? Name one statement that you take issue with (and quote him, don't just paraphrase)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog

Well I think it's pretty widely established now that Maher really is an epic asshole who loves to be outragous and push certain issues, but who loves to push the issue of William Maher Jr. most of all.

Just cause he's an asshole I happen to agree with a fair amount of the time doesn't make him any less of an asshole. It's when he starts the hyperbole on issues we don't agree with - like his view on arabs and islam - that his assholery is laid bare.

Bill is a wonderful self promoter, and I love him for it. He was ecstatic about the serendipity of the Christine O'Donnell win and it was delightful to watch. I could almost sense how giddy Bill was knowing he'd be in the headlines

However, what has he ever said about Islam that's inaccurate? "Their assholes are more violent than the west's religious assholes?" That's just true. I don't remember the last time I saw a public beheading in America

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios

Despite recognizing that he's quite intelligent, his complete quackery when it comes to his opinions about medicine was an instant failure for me. People who are still 'skeptical' about vaccines, for example, don't deserve much thought.

I'm skeptical about the flu shot. I don't see how it makes any sense. How can they know which version of a flu is going to hit in a given year? "This winter season, Flu #29910 will be in!"

If a deadly flu were to strike, it would be a flu that rapidly mutated beyond our bodies ability to defend against it. This would by definition mean that there was no vaccine for it. You're not going to get a flu shot that saves you from Spanish Flu 2KX

All kinds of funny in this week's episode. Galafinakas was a somewhat surprisingly great guest. I figured he'd be a little on the aggressive side with his ideas but for the most part he got some great jokes in and left the attacking to the host and Lawrence O'Donnell. The conservatives weren't too bad either. They settled for amused befuddlement as opposed to finding a way to push through their most outrageous talking points.

All kinds of funny in this week's episode. Galafinakas was a somewhat surprisingly great guest. I figured he'd be a little on the aggressive side with his ideas but for the most part he got some great jokes in and left the attacking to the host and Lawrence O'Donnell. The conservatives weren't too bad either. They settled for amused befuddlement as opposed to finding a way to push through their most outrageous talking points.

O'Donnell was on?! Holy crap. O'Donnell and pot smoking on the same show. I must see this. I don't know why HBO doesn't offer video podcasts anymore for RTwBM. They did it for one season, then went back to audio only...

1) Rachel Maddow (she is great on Bill's show and fits right in, and she laughs hysterically at all his jokes)
2) Bradley "Lemon Limon" Whitford (He has not been on in several seasons, but he's one of my all time favorite guests and he used to be on all the time)
3) That Georgia Congressman who is rock stupid and speaks only in talking points (He actually had the gall to do the "HUSSEIN Obama" thing on REAL TIME of all places during the 2008 election). He's good natured, but daft, so it's delicious watching Bill obliterate him every time he's on the show

What bull shit? Name one statement that you take issue with (and quote him, don't just paraphrase)

However, what has he ever said about Islam that's inaccurate? "Their assholes are more violent than the west's religious assholes?" That's just true. I don't remember the last time I saw a public beheading in America

First of all that's not what he said. What you are refrencing he said in relation to republicans versus democrats.

But lets take your statement on value. Hitler hatred for Jews was instilled in him by his religon, Christianity. The US is involved in two wars right now that may've killed more than 2 million people. In terms of targeting innocents no one compares to the US, wikileaks proves this. Bush hired Blackwater because the owner of Blackwater is a Christian fundamentalist who thinks its his mission to cleanse the planet of Muslims. I'm not bringing this up to prove the other side of the argument is correct, its just easy to bring up anecdotal shit to prove your point. Current and past history(crusades, inquisition), shows us Christianity is just as violent as Islam.

What I was refrencing was Bill Mahers saying that shit about Islam taking over Britain which is preposterous. The outrage stems from the fact the most popular name for baby's is Mohammed. But thats actually not true, because the this only when you combine all the different Mohammed like names together, which is an assumption. And most of these new borns are not British citizens and will not become British citizens, because unlike the US being born here does not entitle you to a passport. Also on that list of popular baby names, there wasn't another single Muslim name in top 100. And Muslims make up an extremely small portion of our population, 3%. His attitude justifies the Tea Party's anger at what they call the Mexican invasion.

He has a pattern of saying Islamophobic and racist shit against Arabs. Like in Religosity he asks the Muslims he interviews, " So whats with Muslims and violence?" And the only time Maher seems to agree with O'Riely is when its some anti islam or anti arab thing. It's not the first time he has said racist shit like that. But it's not surprsing since he's one of those blind Israel supporters. But lets not get into his views on Israel.

The reason I watch him is because, like RainDog, I agree with most of his other politics. But I don't think he is funny or even that smart.

I'm skeptical about the flu shot. I don't see how it makes any sense. How can they know which version of a flu is going to hit in a given year? "This winter season, Flu #29910 will be in!"

If a deadly flu were to strike, it would be a flu that rapidly mutated beyond our bodies ability to defend against it. This would by definition mean that there was no vaccine for it. You're not going to get a flu shot that saves you from Spanish Flu 2KX

I suppose all this knowledge comes from your epidemiology background. Right? Not by some Crichton novel you read?

Maher makes those points about Islam and violence not because he's attacking Islam specifically, but religion in general. About how Muslims use Sharia law to control their populations with disasterous side-effects. He'll take plenty of swipes at the Vatican too, just on different topics. I think Bill's a lot more like Christopher Hitchens in that he's kinda hardcore in his atheism.

Maher makes those points about Islam and violence not because he's attacking Islam specifically, but religion in general. About how Muslims use Sharia law to control their populations with disasterous side-effects. He'll take plenty of swipes at the Vatican too, just on different topics. I think Bill's a lot more like Christopher Hitchens in that he's kinda hardcore in his atheism.

You took the words out of my mouth. The fact Nabster accuses Bill of *racism* for merely politely questioning a faith that calls for rape victims to be beaten by their families is indicative of a culture that has come to tolerate intolerance. There is racism and islamophobia out there, but some people are so scared of looking islamophobic they will shout down anyone who dares to discuss Islam in a critical light -- even when it's being criticized as part of a broader anti religion agenda

If I could add one thing, it would just be to say that Bill is not an atheist: he says he belongs to the "church of I don't know".

I see what you're saying. This may sound paradoxical but I just don't think being atheist means you gotta hate religon.

... Did you watch RELIGULOUS? You didn't even get the title right when you slammed it before. He doesn't 'hate' religion: he thinks it's dangerous and too big a risk in an age where humans have the ability to bring about the end of the world or send civilization limping into the future crippled by nuclear terrorism or climate change*

*since so many religious folks think Jesus will come back in their lifetimes and you don't need to worry about a post rapture future

I see what you're saying. This may sound paradoxical but I just don't think being atheist means you gotta hate religon.

I don't think Maher hates people who are religious. I just think he believes that religion holds us back as a species and views anyone who subscribes to a religious belief as part of that particular problem.

I don't think Maher hates people who are religious. I just think he believes that religion holds us back as a species and views anyone who subscribes to a religious belief as part of that particular problem.

I think he just gets an epic buzz from being a contrary blowhard and has made a comfortable career being so.

Well, it could mean legal trouble of various sorts (or at least legal hassle) if they said it was weed, but given Bill's frowny reaction when he pulled out the J, I imagine it was real. Bill is more than capable of identifying cannabis by odor alone

I don't really care for FG, but as a dog person I appreciate the 'Brian' character, and I am warmed by the thought that Mr MacFarlane would do Bill such a big favor by having this appearance by Brian animated ETC. Seth's been great on RTwBM whenever he's been on, and he and Maher have quite the rapport. MacFarlane even spoke quite movingly when Bill got his star on the walk of fame!

Just posting up some cool news! Bill is on the (back) cover of TIME MAGAZINE this week! The publication isn't what it once was, but Bill's full page ad is still pure class. The text reads 'He asks. He tells.'

Steve Moore is one of the more loathsome talking heads to regularly turn up on Maher's panel. He's someone who referred to the President as "Barack Hussein Obama" during the 2008 campaign cycle -- while appearing as a guest on RTwBM -- , which should tell you all you need to know about his character

Anyway, Rachel was on the show last Friday to take part in Bill's PANEL, and and while attempting discuss the economic legacy of Ronald Regan, Moore began to talk over her, outright *refusing* to let her state a single statistic. It was paternalistic, snide, and deeply insulting. For more than a minute Rachel politely struggled to make her point, and each time she started her sentence, Moore would interrupt and say "Rachel, Rachel.. You're just wrong" while clutching at her arm

He was treating her like a school girl, and I wanted to lunge at him through my iPod screen. If I had been there on the panel, that would have been the moment I'd have slapped his hand away, told him to shut his effing mouth and let me finish my effing sentence

Rachel though? She's clearly in a class by herself

Through endless patience and good humor, she exposes his nasty, demeaning attitude. He treats her like a child, and so she resorts to raising her hand first from a seated position, then standing, politely but firmly asking for her chance to talk

She makes him look like a total creep, and comes off looking ethereally classy and composed

PS As to whether or not Bill should have stepped in and shut down Moore? Maybe, but Maddow didn't need his help, and I think Maher knew that

New Rule: With the Super Bowl only a week away, Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, for all the F-15 flyovers and flag waving, football is our most successful sport because the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives it to the poor teams... just like President Obama wants to do with his secret army of ACORN volunteers. Green Bay, Wisconsin has a population of 100,000. Yet this sleepy little town on the banks of the Fuck-if-I-know River has just as much of a chance of making it to the Super Bowl as the New York Jets - who next year need to just shut the hell up and play.

Now, me personally, I haven't watched a Super Bowl since 2004, when Janet Jackson's nipple popped out during half time, and that split-second glimpse of an unrestrained black titty burned my eyes and offended me as a Christian. But I get it - who doesn't love the spectacle of juiced-up millionaires giving each other brain damage on a giant flat-screen TV with a picture so realistic it feels like Ben Roethlisberger is in your living room, grabbing your sister?

It's no surprise that some 100 million Americans will watch the Super Bowl next week - that's 40 million more than go to church on Christmas - suck on that, Jesus! It's also 85 million more than watched the last game of the World Series, and in that is an economic lesson for America. Because football is built on an economic model of fairness and opportunity, and baseball is built on a model where the rich almost always win and the poor usually have no chance. The World Series is like Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. You have to be a rich bitch just to play. The Super Bowl is like Tila Tequila. Anyone can get in.

Or to put it another way, football is more like the Democratic philosophy. Democrats don't want to eliminate capitalism or competition, but they'd like it if some kids didn't have to go to a crummy school in a rotten neighborhood while others get to go to a great school and their Dad gets them into Harvard. Because when that happens "achieving the American dream" is easy for some, and just a fantasy for others.

That's why the NFL runs itself in a way that would fit nicely on Glenn Beck's chalkboard - they literally share the wealth, through salary caps and revenue sharing - TV is their biggest source of revenue, and they put all of it in a big commie pot and split it 32 ways. Because they don't want anyone to fall too far behind. That's why the team that wins the Super Bowl picks last in the next draft. Or what the Republicans would call "punishing success."

Baseball, on the other hand, is exactly like the Republicans, and I don't just mean it's incredibly boring. I mean their economic theory is every man for himself. The small market Pittsburgh Steelers go to the Super Bowl more than anybody - but the Pittsburgh Pirates? Levi Johnston has sperm that will not grow up and live long enough to see the Pirates in a World Series. Their payroll is about $40 million, and the Yankees is $206 million. They have about as much chance at getting in the playoffs as a poor black teenager from Newark has of becoming the CEO of Halliburton. That's why people stop going to Pirate games in May, because if you're not in the game, you become indifferent to the fate of the game, and maybe even get bitter - that's what's happening to the middle class in America. It's also how Marie Antoinette lost her head.

So, you kind of have to laugh - the same angry white males who hate Obama because he's "redistributing wealth" just love football, a sport that succeeds economically because it does exactly that. To them, the NFL is as American as hot dogs, Chevrolet, apple pie, and a second, giant helping of apple pie. But then again, they think they're macho because their sport is football, when honestly - is there anything gayer than wearing another man's shirt?